Fish Reports

IGFA world record penn reels melton tackle charlie brown circle hooks wind on leader marlin long range channel island oxnard san pedro long beach huntington harbor catilina island san clamente island santa rosa island international game fish assosiation IGFA certified stand up fighting chair Historically most of the locations where the sport was developed such as Avalon California Florida Bimini in the Bahamas Cairns Queensland Australia northern New Zealand Panama Wedgeport in Nova Scotia and Kona in Hawaii benefited from the presence of large numbers of gamefish relatively close to shore within range of the boats of that era As the vessels used for sportfishing became larger faster longer-ranged and more seaworthy big-game species are now pursued on grounds ranging from 60 or 70 miles distance from port such as the submarine canyons of the United States continental shelf to hundreds of miles as in the case of the San Diego long range fishery where large live-aboard vessels range far out into the Pacific searching for tuna schools today big-game is carried out from ports in tropical and temperate coasts practically worldwide

the United States has the worlds largest saltwater fishing industry and along the entire length of the East Coast from Key West to the Gulf of Maine big game anglers pursue a variety of tropical and temperate sportfish ranging from sailfish and dolphinfish in the Florida Keys to giant bluefin tuna in Massachusetts and in Canadian waters The West Coast lacks the influence of the warm Gulf Stream current and most big game species are mainly confined to California a birthplace of the sport Some of the same species that were fished for by the pioneers of the sport Pacific bluefin tuna broadbill swordfish and striped marlin are still fished for today

Pacific bluefin tunas reach maturity at about 5 years of age the generation length is estimated at 7 9 years and based on two separate sources the longevity is 15 year or 26 years At maturity it is about 1.5 m long and weighs about 60 kg Individuals that are long are regularly seen and the maximum reported is 3 m in length and in weight Elsewhere a mass of up to 1210 lb has been reported for the species According to the International Game Fish Association the alltackle game fish record was a 717lb individual caught off New Zealand in 1997 Spawning occurs from April to August but the exact timing depends on the region Early in the northwest Philippine Sea the southern part of its breeding range and late in the Sea of Japan the northern part of its breeding range Large females can carry more eggs than small ones and between 5 million and 25 million eggs have been reported Pacific bluefins eat various small schooling squids and fishes but have also been recorded taking sessile animals